Played Rad-dad the last few days. This was the first time I changed *no* poopy diapers. Woohoo! All poopies went in the toilet. (A beautiful thing.) Let the celebration begin.
He seems to enjoy this new activity. "Dada, come look," I hear him call from the bathroom. Eyes gleaming with pride. High-fives ensue.
Quickly tho, he dismisses me with a wave, saying » "Dada, go away." (Plea for privacy.) Sometimes he even slides shut the door behind me.
And I have another 'first' to report » he took a shower with me today. No, not a major milestone, but worth mentioning. The shower-head here is detachable, allowing me to better control the nozzle's spray.
The bug slept over last night. Good snuggler, he is. (Good sleeper, too.)
After telling him a story ('til he fell asleep) I lay awake, listening to the sound of his breath. The bottoms of his little feet rested on my legs (just above my knees). His head lay (peaceful) on my arm. My other arm drew him tight. Pretty dang close to heaven on earth.
••••• today's entry continues below •••••
Since I have him only part of the time, it leaves me with plenty of time to ponder the father/son relationship, and the meaning of fatherhood in general. I've come to the conclusion that the main thing I want is » simply for him to know I love him (unconditionally).
I know that sounds trite, or maybe even corny, but it's really the distillation of much soul-searching. And with that accomplishment .. I'll be able to rest easy on my deathbed.
Now, exactly *how* that happens .. is (of course) more complicated. My main technique (since we're on the topic) has been to get down on his level, look him in the eye, and listen to him. In other words, I make it a point to pay attention. (Not as easy as it might sound.)
Surprisingly, many moms (at the playgrounds I frequent) ignore their kids. The kids are asking to be pushed (on the swing), for example, while the moms (oblivious) are busy chatting with other moms.
Today for example, two moms were talking (gossiping) about another mom (obviously not there). "I don't know why she thinks we're good friends," one says. "I never really liked her."
"Did she really say that?" the other asks a little later. "How rude!" All the while, the little girl keeps asking to be pushed. Sure I wanted to say something. (But I didn't.) Had to bite my tongue. (I can be blunt .. it's an East Coast thing.)
If there *is* a good consequence to this part-time dad deal .. it's that I definitely don't take for granted my time with the bug. Goes way too fast. I appreciate our time together.
Who knows? If I could see the bug whenever I want .. I too might take him for granted .. or pay less attention. I'd prefer (of course) to think not .. but who knows for sure?
The Bug's new favorite activity is to clean my windshield (Rad-mobile) with a squee-gee at the gas station. I set him my hood and watch him as he gets busy. Not sure why he digs this so much. One lady today said, "That's the cutest thing I've ever seen at a gas station," and asked if she could snap a a picture.
So every day we stop several stations. (My tank is perpetually full.) There he spends at least five minutes (usually much more) cleaning my windshield. Fortunately the Porsche is old enough that I don't care about him walking on it.
Following our last weekend together, I realized » I miss him more after spending more time with him. You'd think the opposite would be true. In reality however, it's harder to give him back after a long (3-day) weekend. Cuz you get closer.
For more along these lines, here's a Google search preconfigured for the query > fatherhood dad visitation potty training
Comments (10)
Test comment.
Posted by Rad | July 19, 2007 11:46 PM
Posted on July 19, 2007 23:46
you sound like a good dad. and i would ditto the whole gossip issue with moms. not all of them, but moms can get very distracted with the conversation. kind of understandable since moms lack adult interaction sometimes. good post.
Posted by nicki | July 20, 2007 11:07 AM
Posted on July 20, 2007 11:07
It's inspiring to read this. This is my first week as a part-time dad with my soon to be 3-year-old. His mom moved out Saturday and she has him until Wednesday. I have him 50 percent of the week and every other weekend. I'm missing him like crazy. I never wanted to be a part-time dad -- I was really enjoying the full-time gig. Even got a new job with fewer hours.
Mom and son dropped by Sunday. My little boy didn't want to see me and when I went to kiss him goodbye, he slapped me in the face. Hurt my heart more than anything. He doesn't know what's going on and is so upset. I hope this gets better.
Posted by Noah | November 5, 2007 2:03 PM
Posted on November 5, 2007 14:03
I am like you -- I want my children to know that I love them unconditionally. You sound like you are a very good father.
Posted by Mike | June 18, 2008 12:21 PM
Posted on June 18, 2008 12:21
Great story. I feel this way too about my son. I know a lot about potty training boys
Posted by Jess | April 11, 2009 3:39 PM
Posted on April 11, 2009 15:39
Thanks For sharing this informative article. It helped me a lot on how to Potty Training Boys
Posted by Potty Training Boys | March 14, 2010 7:38 AM
Posted on March 14, 2010 07:38
Mom and son dropped by Sunday. My little boy didn't want to see me and when I went to kiss him goodbye, he slapped me in the face. Hurt my heart more than anything
Posted by jhu isis | August 26, 2011 4:44 AM
Posted on August 26, 2011 04:44
A good blog! Surprisingly, many moms (at the playgrounds I frequent) ignore their kids. The kids are asking to be pushed (on the swing), for example, while the moms (oblivious) are busy chatting with other moms.
Posted by Ben Affleck | October 6, 2011 2:00 PM
Posted on October 6, 2011 14:00
Potty Training Boys and Potty Training Girls:
Thanks For sharing this informative article. It helped me a lot on how to
Potty Training Boys and Potty Training Girls
Posted by Potty Traning Boys Girls | September 5, 2013 3:17 AM
Posted on September 5, 2013 03:17
Amazing article! Milestones are very vital in potty training process , the more you will focus about the mini objectives , the easier it will be for parents to teach toilet training.
Posted by Potty Training Boys | October 12, 2014 2:17 PM
Posted on October 12, 2014 14:17